1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to trash dumpsters, specifically to a mechanism for locking the dumpster lids.
2. Description of Prior Art
Heretofore, owners and renters of trash dumpsters have used their own ingenuity in attempting to lock their dumpsters to avoid unwarranted dumping since no company currently markets a standard system. Generally a chain or some other form of mounting bracket is welded to the dumpster and a padlock is attached. In some case one lock will service both lids (most dumpsters have two lids) or sometimes each lid has its own lock. Some have installed a steel bar across the top of the dumpster to restrain the lids when locked.
These various, mostly homemade, locking system have a major inconvenience in that they require that either the owner remember to unlock them on trash collection day so that they can be dumped, or else the collection company must be provided with a key. Trash collection companies do not like to be bothered with carrying several keys and often the dumpster user forgets to unlock the can. It also creates a problem when the collection company forgets to re-lock the dumpster or loses the lock. It is often the case that after several missed collection days due to a locked dumpster, the lock is removed of simply not used.
The present invention was designed to allow the user to lock the dumpster to prevent unwarranted dumping or scavenging, while at the same time allowing the collection company to dump the can without needing to unlock it first. No prior art exists of a dumpster lock which unlocks itself automatically when the dumpster is dumped and then re-locks after dumping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,172, a bait box, by Anthony J. Rinella operates on somewhat the same principle but is insufficient for our current use. His bait box uses a cylinder with a notch in the top to catch a latch hanging down from the lid. When the box is set upright, the cylinder turns by gravity and hols the lid in place until the box is set on its side again. This sytem is designed differently than ours and does not accomplish the desired results because it requires total manual operation and precise positioning to colse or open the lid. It also lacks a separate mechanism for opening the lid without turning the box as would be required in a dumpster so that the dumpster could be opened by its owner without tipping it.
If there were upward pressure on the lid of the bait box the cylinder would jam and not open whereas our invention will operate effectively even under high pressure from an overloaded dumpster.
The bait box is designed solely to prevent the lid from opening while the box is being carried. Our invention prevents unauthorized entry, allows for authorized entry, opens itself when tipped under all conditions, and re-locks itself when returned to an upright position. It is the first of its kind in the industry.